NEUROMANCER by William Gibson ⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Original review written March 1, 2019)

I felt kind of dumb for not knowing what the hell was going on for a good chunk of the book, but it was still a wild ride. After piecing together who was who and what everything meant -- lots of new words, thanks Google -- the greatness shined through.

Apparently, this novel was a new kickstart to the cyberpunk genre when it came out, with the author actually coining the term “cyberspace” in a short story before this. The beginning shoots you right into that vibe at 150 mph and you gotta just try to latch on somewhere and figure up from down.

I may have struggled a bit at the start, but the importance of the story isn’t lost on me. And by the end I did have interest in reading the sequel. My head kinda hurts from all the lingo though.

Images of Blade Runner kept popping into my head, and I think having seen that made the mental picture that much easier to grasp. Even if the words overwhelmed my brain, I could still visualize Case in a steamy, dark street alley with neon lights throbbing, or approaching the Vegas-like Freebase, and get my footing. And I know a reread would probably make me fall in love with the whole thing. I’d consider myself at least romanced for now (wink wink to the title).